How Do You Practise During Season?

[FC_coach87]

Soo, what does your cheer-year look like? Im so curious! :) Please share! Let's se if there's and different abroad aswell!! How does Europe do it? Im from Miami.

1. When you tryout, how do you pic ut your new members? Do they have the skills that the team's competing with or are you trying to pick members that will fit into the team by personality?
2. When do you learn your corography? Does it remain the same or is there changes during the season?
3. How often do you practise and how much? What does a random practise look like?
4. How do you prepare for comp?
5. When and how you get your uniforms?
6. What're you guys doing from comp til tryouts?
7. Injury/fall outs during season?

My answers:
1. We look at skills and of course - attitude. Also that the cheerleader has a good posture, strength and flexibility. We've been takin in about 10girls fr our lvl 5 team every season (in May).
2. August. We're doin our own coreography, so we try to figure a good level of tumbling/stunts they might stick while comp. The girls need to get it(not skills, but motions) in a week.
3.
Level 3, juniors: 1/w + tumblingand privates
Level 5 juniors:2/w + tumbling and privates
Level 5 seniors: 2/w + tumbling and privates
Warmup. Warmup stunts, jumps and tumbling. Training parts of the routine, putting it together with music and focusing on different stuff. Stretchdown.
4. Practise the routine over and over 2 times/week in the gym. Taking away stunts/tumbling that doesn't hit. Having a good time and not excercise too hard.
5. Sept, ordering from GK. The girls pay their own unis.
6. Learning new skills and rebuilding strength!
7. This season: 5girls from all of our teams.

 

[MadstarRocksAmerica]

I'll try to answer generally as I've been on/coached a few teams and they're all different.

1.) Skills are pretty rare in Scotland, we flat out don't have the facilities to team athletes how to tumble and stunt as well as American coaches. Moreover, we don't have the same commitment to training that American teams have. Therefore, tryouts usually have a dance, maybe some jumps, but it's mostly about the enthusiasm. If the athlete is willing to work, the routine can be designed between what they can and cannot do.
2.) December usually, and we're constantly changing as skills progress. Usually we're making it up on the spot...
3.) Once a week for two hours. Warmup (cardio with motion technique), stretching, jumps or dance drills, working on skills as stunt groups or tweeking little bits of routines (dance or cheer routines).
4.) Lots of full outs, lots of shouting, lots of tips and communication. Lost of extra practices too!
5.) Girls pay their own unis or unis are bought from fundraising and are loaned out to athlete. Not sure as I don't really deal with this, sorry!
6.) Fundraising, charity events, dance displays, fun and games, skill building, just having fun and trying to promote what we do a little.
7.) A couple of last minute dropouts as "but I really have to go!" "My mum would kill me!" "It's been booked for ages!" But no injuries so far, touch wood!

 

[ceanz-victoria]

1. When you tryout, how do you pic ut your new members? Do they have the skills that the team's competing with or are you trying to pick members that will fit into the team by personality?

We pick based on both skills and the potential for them. If an athlete has the skills for a certain level, they'll generally get put on that level. But if they have PERFECT skills for, say, Level 2, and we think they'll get Level 3 skills before comps, they'll usually be put on Level 3 - we want out athletes to be challenged.

Personality doesn't come into it.

2. When do you learn your corography? Does it remain the same or is there changes during the season?
In New Zealand, competition season is from June-November. We usually learn around March. The general choreography stays the same, but we up difficulty on stunts and tumble later in the season if we get new skills.

3. How often do you practise and how much? What does a random practise look like?
Twice a week for 2 hours in the off-season; more in comp season. Warm up, stretch, tumble, conditioning, jumps, stunts, conditioning again, stretch down for the off season. Warm up, stretch, warm up tumble and stunts and jumps, routine, condition, stretch down during season.

4. How do you prepare for comp?

Lots and lots of full outs. If something doesn't hit, you have to hit it three times after the routine. Kids do 10x push-ups or similar after the routine for every time they don't smile, aren't clean etc.

5. When and how you get your uniforms?

Usually just prior to the first competition. Staff take down everyone's measurements at the beginning of seasons, parents pay for uniforms, uniforms are ordered from China.

6. What're you guys doing from comp til tryouts?

Working on getting new skills!

7. Injury/fall outs during season?

We've never had any major injuries during season (thank goodness). Those with minor tend to just push through. People tend to leave after the comp season is over if they wish to do so.